Children of the X
by WhIMsiCAl IMpULsE
Summary: Scott Summers is in the possession of something that Nathaniel essex wants his genetic structure. Once thir leader is captured, the other XMen are forbidden to take part in the rescue effort. Xavier recruits his former students in their stead.
1. The Children of the X

**Children Of The X**

**Summary:**_New Mutants are beginning to appear all over the world. Xavier and Magneto race frantically to recruit them to their respective causes. _

**

* * *

**

Scott Summers, leader of the mutant group known as the X-men, woke up. Yawning, Scott tugged off his sleeping goggles. He shut his eyes tightly as he blindly snatched his glasses from the usual spot, behind the alarm. Putting them on, he slid out of bed, landing heavily on his feet. He tugged on a shirt over his torso and hurried to the bathroom, eager to beat out the new mutants.

Swinging over the bed, he leapt for the door and jogged to the bathroom when all of a sudden. . .

"Hey!" Scott cried out in surprise.

Invisible bonds had formed over his arms and feet. Struggle as he might, he couldn't break free of them.

"Sorry, Scott. Ladies first." Jean Grey called out to the struggling Scott Summers. She flashed a heart-stopping grin that made Scott's heart feel woozy. Not woozy enough, however, to stop any protesting though.

"Hey! JEAN! Let me out! OUT!" Scott shouted in vain.

Suddenly, the pressure was off of his arms and legs and Scott fell to the ground in a heap.

"Aughh! Watch out!" Evan was skateboarding in the hallway on his way to the bathroom. He was forced to ollie over Scott.

"Evan! Get off of your Skateboard!" Scott ordered.

"Sheesh, chill out, man. You're worse than Logan." Evan muttered as he snapped his skate up to

his hands.

Scott grumbled and walked back into his room. Kurt bamfed into his seat at the breakfast table.

Kitty typed excitedly into her laptop. Rogue was still in bed, groggily trying to smash her alarm clock. Jean was brushing her hair. Evan was skateboarding by Scotts car. Logan was training in the Danger Room, Ororo was watering her plants, and Professor X was in Cerebro. All was well in Xaviers Institute for Gifted youngsters.

**

* * *

**

(_Ten minutes later at the breakfast table_)

"Good Morning, Bobby."

"Morning, Professor!"

"Say, what's for Breakfast?"

"Darn it, Kurt- Fur all over the place."

"Oh stuff it, Evan"

"Yum Bacon!"

"Ewww How can you eat meat? It's like, so, gross!"

"But it's soo tasty."

"Here ya go, Kitty. Some nice steamin' SAUSAGE"

"Ewwwww! Rogue said-"

"Shut up, Jamie."

"Rogue! I thought you were on _my _side!"

"You thought wrong, Kitty! Besides, it's payback for when you burned over my 'Coheed and Cambria' cd with 'Hanson'"

"Taylor is cute!"

"He's such a_-_"

"Porcupine! No spikin' food."

"What? Dude, you so clawed that stack of pancakes!"

"Wanna make somethin' of it, bub?"

". . .no?"

"Didn't think so"

"Ok, team, get in the car or else you're walking to school. I'm leaving in ten minutes!"

"Goodbye, Scott"

"Goodbye, Professor"

**

* * *

**

Five women, wearing matching black cat-suits, sat in an unlicenced van- receiving instructions over a comm-unit. An Asian woman held a microphone; obviously the leader.

_Raika, has your team gotten into position yet?_

A voice crackled over the comm unit.

"No, sir. We should get to the specified coordinates in 20 minutes. Any changes in plans?" She replied, in a brisk, no-nonsense voice.

_No, simply checking in on your status._

"Well you've got nothing to worry about- we'll bag this kid and get the hell out of here." Raika stated. "This place makes me nervous" She added.

_Remember, Raika, your team is not to harm the target in any manner. He's useless to me if he's crippled or damaged in any way._

"I copy, Mr. Essex. I promise that we'll capture Scott Summers unharmed."

_Good. Essex Out._

**

* * *

**

Kurt yawned heavily. Trigonometry had to be his least favorite class. Why would anyone want to bother graphing functions? Definitely not him. Kurt looked over at his friend Evan and was pleased to see that his face showed similar expressions of boredom.

The teacher droned on and on about the sine and cosecant or something. . .Kurt couldn't remember.

**

* * *

**

Jean scribbled down notes furiously. She loved her AP Art's History class and even had thoughts of becoming a museum curator.

"Back to the 'Luncheon of the Boating Party' by Renoir. Most people interpret this painting to be reflect the happiness and joy which the season of Summer can bring." The teacher, Ms Hill, spoke. "What a lovely season Summer is, after all." She added as an afterthought and a warm smile.

Jean also smiled. Her thoughts turned to summer as well. Summers' spent previously with the boy she loved. . .

_(Flashback)_

"_C'mon, Jean! We don't have long until it's dark!" Scott Summer shouted. He was eleven years old, the same age as Jean._

_They were off to get ice cream. Jean always had a chocolate fudge in a plain cone. Scott teased her for her consistency. He liked to eat whatever contained the most ice cream. But Jean would always get the last laugh whenever Scott got a stomach ache._

_But not today. They were going to get ice cream and than run to the park and catch fireflies until darkness robbed them of the simple pleasure of being eleven years old. _

_Jean loved running around like crazy with Scott. She often forgot all of her troubles- like her bothersome telepathic headaches. . .and the fact that she was a gawky, oversized, knobbly-kneed awkward redhead who tripped a lot. Scott didn't care about any of those things. He didn't even care that Jean was taller than him by a good five inches! He just laughed that infectious laugh of his and blew something up with his eye-beams._

_Just last week he had zapped Mr. Logan! It was accidental, of course, but that didn't stop Logan from getting upset!_

_Jean giggled at the memory._

_Wolverine was so mad and Scott had this insanely desperate look on his face as he scrambled away to safety in the Professors office._

_As she was lost in thought, Scott had snuck behind her and began to mercilessly tickle her into submission. His fingers gently dug into her ribs and she let out a burst of uncontrolled laughter. She fought back and rolled over to escape but Scott had her in to good of a hold and she couldn't get away. They rolled around a bit more in the grass until both children, exhausted, lay onto their backs and watched the clouds, mirroring the retreating suns' light, float by._

"_What's with the goofy grin, Jean?" Scott asked as he rolled himself over and propped himself up by his elbows._

"_Nuthin', Scott, I'm just thinking about trying some new ice cream is all. . ." She replied, knowing full well that she wouldn't._

"_Good lord! Alert the media! Try something new? You? Never!" Scott laughed. "Then let's go, I want some ice cream!" _

_Scott got up and ran off. Jean followed. Running, running, running. She would run forever by his side_.

_(End FlashBack)_

"Jean? Jean? Hello?" Ms. Hill called out- snapping Jean back to school, back to class, and back to reality.

**

* * *

**

"_Who are these new mutants, Charles? Do you think we could introduce them to our school?" Ororo Munroe, the African weather goddes, asked._

"_I don't think that they would need our help, Ororo."Charles Xavier answered "It appears as though they've already gained complete control over their powers."_

"_How can ya tell, Chuck?" Logan asked._

"_Because their have been no examples of actual use of their powers. Most mutants, when their powers first emerge, have accidents with their powers. besides- after I scanned their bio-_

_signatures- I discovered that they're all well out of puberty. I don't have any names, but I do know that they're all female and they all have alpha class powers."_

"_D'ya think they're a threat?" Logan asked with a snarl._

"_I'm not sure yet, Logan. Before we make any hasty decisions, I believe we should give them_ the _benefit of the doubt and see what they're up to before we engage any preemptive strategies."_

**

* * *

**

Kitty frantically searched for her Calculus text book. She was positive that she had put it into her bookbag. She dumped the contents of said bag onto the ground. Chewing gum wrappers, used lip gloss containers, papers, notes, and other various items fell out of the bag- but her textbook was nowhere to be found. She let out a sigh of frustration and a groan of disbelief. Why did she sign up for this class? She didn't know the answer. She sighed again.

She looked under her desk and found her bag. It was a small victory- but victory nonetheless. She let out a chuckle, upon which a nearby student overheard her and frowned with a lofty and arrogant tone on his face. He let out a disdainful laugh. It was loud and obnoxious and it made Kitty want to slap him. What was his name again? Harry or Raymond. . .Something boring like that. He was always very inquisitive about how high Kitty scored on her tests. He always seemed like he was in competition with her- though only he knew or cared about it.

He tried to act like he was so much better than her by finding where she was weak and regard her disdainfully for it. Kitty took special pride in making sure that all of her scores were higher than his.

Ramone/Harry leaned over and smirked; "Forgot your-" But he was cut off.

"Hey, Kitty! You forgot your textbook. Again, I might add." Scott Summers walked into the room carrying his bag slung over his shoulder and Kitty's book clutched. He sat down in a chair right in front of Raymond/Harry blocking his view of Kitty and grinned. Kitty let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Scott. I was slightly _annoyed _by some things here." Kitty replied giving a scathing look behind Scott. He turned around and glared at Ramone/Harry.

Scott grinned again. Ramone/Harry glared at the back of his head.

**

* * *

**

Remy Lebeau was having the time of his life. As a matter of fact, Remy made a point of having every moment be the time of his life. It certainly made things far more interesting.

While he was supposed to be working for Magneto, as he was currently the highest bidder for Remy's exceptional thieving ability.

But he could take a break every now and then, right? Two months really isn't _that_ long when you think about it.

What was her name again? Erin? Something that started with an 'e'. But all he was concerned with right now was, well, one can only imagine. Remy grinned.

**

* * *

**

Rogue frowned. Study Hall was so incredibly boring. The sheer bore-osity truly astounded her.

But it had to be better then gym class- which she had with Tabitha. Whenever Tabitha felt like showing up, that is.

Rogue sighed again. She flipped her pencil idly through her fingers.

"Hey hey, Rogue-y Wogue-y!"

Oh no. It was. . .

"Toad meister in da house! Fo Sho!"

Rogue glared. Todd wimpered.

"Never mind?" He nervously giggled.

**

* * *

**

This was a chapter full of fluff! But fluffy stuff is way cool, non?

Anyways, expect more plot and whatnot to continue on later.

By the way, if anyone seeks to send in an OC- Do so through EMAIL or AIM only.

My email is and my aim sn is Impulse529.

If anyone does not do this and sends their OC in as a review. I will destroy everything they

own. Then I will kill their pets and force feed it to you. Got it? Good?

Jolly-O

Comments and Criticisms are always welcome so I hope that you'll leave a review!


	2. Benefit of the Doubt

**Benefit Of the Doubt**

By Whimsical Impulse

**

* * *

**

* * *

Raika Somumoto surveyed her squad. They all seemed rested and well-prepared. They were all well versed in the battle plan. 

Nathaniel Essex would value Raika immeasurably if she were to pull this off without a hitch. Maybe even value her enough to promote her to the full-fledged status of a member of the elite Marauders.

**

* * *

**

"Good Gahd. Ah had the most boring day at school. Ah just can't stand it." Rogue sighed throwing her book bag onto the couch . "I think I need some tapioca."

"Like eww, Rogue! Tapioca is so gross!" Kitty Pryde exclaimed.

"Ya know, Kitty. Ya really ought to open yourself to more opportunities. Think about all the possibilities!" Rogue spread her arms and whirled around in an uncharacteristically girly fashion, sarcastically mirroring Kitty's own persona.

Kitty laughed to let Rogue know that she wasn't offended.

"Well, have fun eating sweetened mucus. Kurt and I are going to go off to see Death Slasher 7." Kitty replied and left the room, pausing to snatch up her purse.

"What a cinematic experience that'll be." Rogue called out to Kitty's retreading figure.

"You can come if you want. Kurt said that he thought Evan might want to come too." Kitty said from the hallway.

"Come to what?" Scott happened to be passing by Kitty and inquired.

"The new Death Slasher movie. You wanna go?" Kitty asked as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen where Kurt and Evan were creating the "Super Mucho Grande Ice Cream Sundae Bonanza". A name that they both insisted "rolled right off the tongue".

"Alright, I'll go. You guys mind if Jamie tags along? He said that he wanted to see it." Scott called down to Kitty.

"Ah guess I can make it too." Rogue said, walking out of the room, startling Scott. Scott tripped.

"Sure he can come, Scott." Kitty shouted back up to Scott.

"Come to what?" Jean inquired. She had just returned from soccer practice and was still in uniform. She walked to the refrigerator, dodging Evan, and retrieved a bottle of water.

"The new Death Slasher flick. A bunch of us are going, wanna' tag along?" Kitty asked.

She was also by the fridge, but was rummaging for lettuce and tomatoes, hoping to fix herself a salad before the screening time.

"Sounds good, Kitty. When's it starting." Jean asked, flipping her hair back and taking a long swig of water.

"Movie starts in an hour, Red Head. I'd get cleaned up, cause' you really stink from all that soccer!" Evan bantered in comically loud and obnoxious tones.

Suddenly he fell to the floor as if an invisible hand pushed him.

"Hey!" he yelped as he crashed onto the floor.

"Better watch where you step next time, Evan." Jean called out in sweet tones as she walked, out the kitchen door, upstairs to her room.

"Jean, wait!" Kurt yelled from the kitchen. "Can we go in your van?"

"I guess so." Jean answered over her shoulder. "How many people are going?"

"Six or seven, maybe. I'm not sure who else might want to go." Kurt replied.

Kurt let out a big sigh of wonderment.

"It's definitely Super Mucho Grande Ice Cream Sundae Bonanza time." Kurt sighed again. "What a great name."

"I concur" Concurred Evan. "So, Jean, about the van. Is that a yes?"

"Well, I guess. . .I don't kn-"

"Great! Awesome. Thanks, Jean!" Evan called from below.

"You guys can go in my car too, so there'll be extra room. We're going to the drive-in theater, right?" Scott asked.

"Right." Kitty returned. "But I don't think that we'll need your car, Scott. We can all pile into Jean's van."

**

* * *

**

"Yo! Y'know what I could go for tonight?" Todd Tolansky, commonly (If not fondly) known as 'Toad', asked as he hopped around the broken down living room in the Brotherhood boarding house.

"I don't know, Toad. How about a shower." Lance Alvers grumbled as he walked out of the room.

"Har de Har Har, Lance." Todd looked sincerely hurt. Automatically he laughed to let everyone know that it didn't affect him. He sighed. "But seriously! Who's up for seein' 'Death Slasher 7'! It's gonna rule!" Todd cried out jubilantly, hoping someone would want to go with him.

"Yeah, it's going to be _such_ an epic film, I'm sure." Pietro's slick-trick voice sped out in sarcastic tones. "It's going to suck, Toad. Get over it."

Pietro went back to combing his hair in the mirror at super speed.

"I'll go, Todd." Fred quietly replied.

He didn't care much for the Death Slasher series. But if his friend wanted to see it, he'd go too. Besides, he enjoyed the companionship they shared.

"Sounds good, Freddy m'man." Todd tried to play himself off as being distant and cool, but a tone of thankfulness filled his words.

"No problem." Fred tactfully replied" When's the next showing?"

Todd checked his watch.

"In about an hour or so, I guess." he announced. We'd better get going. It's a long way to walk to the drive-in."

"We're walking to the drive-in?" Fred asked, bewildered.

"You two're _WALKING_ to the drive-in?" Pietro asked. He let out a vicious giggle. "Have fun, guys. Don't stay out too late." Pietro then sped out of sight.

"Todd. Why are we walking to a drive-in?" Fred asked again. "Shouldn't we take, I dunno, a car?"

"Y'know, Fred, ya do have a point there." Todd answered, a picture of seriousness. "I do believe we'll have to take a car."

"You guys can take my jeep. Actually, I'll take you guys there. I guess I could see Death Slasher 3." Lance voice echoed from the kitchen.

"It's 7, Lance." Toad corrected.

"Whatever, Todd." Lance had sensed that he hurt Todd's feelings with his previous remarks- so he sought to redeem himself in some manner. But he didn't want to seem like too much of a wussy.

"Well than, sweet! Death Slasher rocks! I hope that he kills. . ." Todd chattered off to a bemused Fred and a slightly frustrated Lance.

**

* * *

**

"Raika! Summer's is on the move! We've also detected several other bio-signatures with him."

Anne Morland informed her, a member of the vivaciously deadly Strike Force, which they were named, who was currently manning the tactical station in their high-tech combat van, reported.

Raika Sommumatu cursed softly.

"Where are they headed and how many are with him?" She asked Anne.

"I'm counting six. All of them are mutants." Anne replied smartly. "It looks like they're headed to Marty's Drive-In theater."

"Do you know their powers?" Mae Dumburghe asked.

"Negative, Dusty." Anne answered.

"Raika, this is bad. We should terminate the mission." Tyler Dumas, who was driving, remarked seriously.

Raika swore again.

"We can't terminate this mission! It's too important and we've wasted enough time. I'm going to call Nathan and we'll do as he says. Envee, I want you to go one ahead and scout for any potential threats. Set up a diversion."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, Envee. Use your brain! Knock over a screen or something." Raika snapped.

Envee nodded. The van pulled off of the highway and Envee got out. In a swirl of dust, the aerokinetic took flight.

**

* * *

**

It was a tight fit in Jean's van. Jean was driving. Evan and Kurt were up in the front, battling each other with their gamekids. Scott, Rogue, and Kitty were in the middle of the van. Kitty was attempting to wildly dance in her seat, listening to Maroon 5 and singing loudly. Rogue was trying her best not to get hit by Kitty's flailing arms. This brought her into close proximity to Scott- which made both of them blush slightly- as they turned there heads to hide their embarrassment. Jaime and his duplicates occupied the backseats. During car-rides, Jaime was often bounced around and his clones would pop out.

"Dude, you cheated! You're not allowed to use the electro-cannon when you're in the Keelar Zone!"

"I did not cheat! That vasn't the electro-cannon! It was the chain pistol. I had it upgraded using the C-Class electrician!"

"That was not the upgraded chain pistol! It was undoubtedly the electro-cannon!"

"Vas not."

"Was too."

"Vas not."

"Was too."

"Vas not."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh"

"For the love of God and all that is holy- stop!" Jean yelled at the two squabbling teenagers.

Both Evan and Kurt grinned mischievously.

"Sorry, mom."

"Yes. Ve are very sorry, mother."

"Better watch out, Kurt. Don't want mom to yell at us."

The two burst into peals of laughter. All of the Jaime's in the backseat found this too also be hilarious and they all laughed raucously. Shouts of 'mom' could be heard from the back. Scott groaned. Kitty giggled slightly. Rogue remained silent.

"Are we there yet?" Once Scott uttered those words- he knew that he had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah, Jean! Are we there yet?" Kurt asked, "politely".

This is where the Jaime's began to enter the fray.

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" All of the Jaimes cried out.

"Good gahd, I hope so." Rogue muttered to herself.

**

* * *

**

Lance groaned. Fred needed most of the room in the back so Todd occupied the front passenger seat and was fiddling around with the radio dial due to the fact that he didn't like any one song. Or at least not all of it.

"Yo. This is pretty good." Which was quickly followed by "But we should see what else is playing!"

"For the love of God, just choose a station, Toad!" Lance nearly shouted.

"Sheesh, helmet-head. Chill out. I'm just going to searh for a new song is all."

The dial snapped off into his hand.

"Well, I like this song I guess."

Lance groaned again.

**

* * *

**

"Zephyr, status report." Raika ordered into her comm unit.

"Summers' van is in close vicinity to the movie theater, Raika." Zephyr's voice crackled back.

"What's the ETA?" Raika replied.

"I'd say ten minutes. Maybe less." Zephyr replied.

"Ok. Zephyr, get to a point where I can count on you for some quick results if they try a fast exit. If they don't leave- meet up with us at these coordinates." Raika punched in a series of numbers through her comm unit.

"I got the coordinates. Zephyr out." The voice crackled out.

"Oh, and Zephyr?" Raika spoke into her comm unit.

"Yes?" Was the reply.

"Will you knock over that screen like I asked?"

"Can do. Zephyr out."

**

* * *

**

Scott sighed with relief. They had finally gotten to the movie theater and they all were about to finally enjoy watching people be slashed to death. Once Jean had parked the van, Scott and Rogue had hopped out to buy popcorn for everyone. They walked to the back of the long line.

The young-looking man dressed in fashionably torn clothing in front of them was obnoxious and smelled of old spice. He kept flashing his car keys so as to let everyone know that he drove an expensive BMW.

The man quickly surveyed all of the females around him, and he found Rogue to be more than acceptable to the eye. He grinned a lecherously perverted smile at her. Rogue shuddered involuntarily. Scott frowned.

His attention, along with everyone else's, was quickly averted. An explosion sounded throughout the entire drive-in. Several people screamed. bit of burning metal flew everywhere. Kurt teleported two children out of the harmful way of a careening chunk of metal torn off of the movie screen. The two boys were amazed at how they seemingly disappeared and reappeared in a different spot.

"The screen! It's about to give out!" Scott shouted. "Jean, d'ya think you-"

"I'm already on it, Scott.' Jean called out from a different part of the theater.

Her hands were pressed to her temples and she concentrated on lowering the heavy screen at a slow and easily avoidable rate.

The people in the audience, however, were amazed that the movie screen was falling in slow motion.

"Ok, people, let's get a move on. Let's not stand around like dumb, grazing cows. Let's start to move out from under the large and heavy screen that could crush you if you were caught under it." Evan said in an exasperated tone.

"Yeah, ve vouldn't want to get caught under such veight. It could, you know, squash you like a bug." Kurt called out, also annoyed by the mass bovinity.

"Like, what made that happen?" Kitty wondered out loud. She was busy trying to contain the frightened Jaime clones that were running around.

"Scott! I can't hold it! It's too heavy!" Jean called out urgently.

The people under the movie screen screamed and shouted but all of them stayed rooted to the same spot in terror.

"ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY! Did you not hear her? FUCKING RUN!" Evan shouted to the people.

"I'll take care of it, Evan!" Kurt shouted.

He began to teleport into the masses, grab a couple people, and then teleport out with them. This exertion exhausted the teleporting teen, but he continued on despite his fatigue.

**

* * *

**

_Raika, I'm impressed. Having Zephyr tip over the screen as a diversion was an excellent idea._

Essex's voice crackled over the comm unit.

"Thank you, Mr. Essex. Just trying to apply those diversionary tactics you taught us in those strategy simulations." Raika proudly replied.

_I see that you've been improving rapidly. Congratulations. I assume that capturing Summers won't be a problem?_

"I'd say you're right about that, Mr. Essex. You've got nothing to worry about."

_Good_

**

* * *

**

"What the hell happened?" Lance Alvers shouted out from inside the van.

"Yo, I don't know." Todd replied nervously.

"The screen! It's falling over!" Fred shouted.

"Oh, man! Blob! You're going to have to try to hold up that stupid hunk of metal. Think you can do it?" Lance asked.

"I'll try. It's a good thing we parked so close to the screen." Fred replied grimly. He swung open the door and crawled out of the car.

"Hey! It's the X-Geeks! They're already saving everybody!" Todd shouted. "They have everything under control! We're saved!"

"Scott! I can't hold it! It's too heavy!"

"ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY! Did you not hear her? FUCKING RUN!"

"Well, I guess they don't have everything under control." Fred announced.

He rushed to the bottom of the screen. Getting a firm grip on the metal shafts holding up the screen, he began to aid Jean in the herculean effort of lowering it. His feet and legs were rooted to the ground, his arms and legs locked in exertion. He grunted under his breath. He clenched his teeth.

**

* * *

**

Jean felt the enormous strain that pounded in her head lessen by a considerable amount. She saw that Fred Dukes was helping her lower the heavy screen. She made a mental note to thank him personally.

Scott held his breath in anticipation. A single drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head. Suddenly, a black van, without plates, screeched to a halt. Scott turned his head to get a better look at the van.

Out stepped several striking women. They all looked to be in their early twenties. The first to step out of the van was a slender, lithe Japanese girl. She looked to be about 5'6. Out from a different door came a brown-haired girl. She was slightly taller. She wore glasses and her bangs seemed to stay in her bangs perpetually. The third girl to step out looked athletic and powerfully built. Her toned body stood proudly as she swept her blonde hair behind her ears. The fourth girl was slight in build, a little over five feet tall. All of the women were dressed in form-fitting black outfits, with bulky utility belts. A fifth girl, tall and thin, with fiery red hair swooped down from the sky.

The Japanese girl quickly ordered; "Strike Force, Attack Pattern Delta!"

The five burst out into an elaborate formation.

Scott swore.

**

* * *

**

Nathaniel Essex sat in the control room of his base. The room was pristine, devoid of anything resembling dirt. Several monitors offered different viewpoints of the upcoming battle.

"Well, Charles, how will you react to the recruiting party that I've sent over? Surely your charges will offer some sport for my Strike Force."

The geneticist murmured to himself as he increased the definition of his mobile cameras monitoring the battlefield.

**

* * *

**

A/N

I'm upping the level to PG-13 because Evan has a potty mouth. . .

C'est la Vie.

Please Leave a review!

Whimsical Impulse


	3. Tactical Strike Pt 1

Alexis Llaven huddled in a ball in the furthest corner of her cell. Her power was not one that aided her in combat and the guards were apt to beat her. Or do something even worse.

Alexis was an empath and she could literally feel the twisted and warped and malicious emotions that the horribly mutated guards had. Being a female prisoner was not the most glamorous of positions. In fact, it was downright wretched. A girl, Kay Maleigh, in the prison cell next to her had been viciously gang-raped by a group of the guards. She had been trying to break out using her electrical powers. Unfortunately and obviously, she was not able to do so.

Alexis shuddered as she remembered her tortured screams. She shuddered as she remembered the looks the guards had. She shuddered as she remembered the feelings of savage triumph, of searing agony, of submissive defeat, and joyous ecstacy that the guards and Kay Maleigh broadcasted.

But the worst feeling of all was undoubtedly the numbness that she felt from the other prisoners. The feelings of impotency, of weakness, of powerlessness.

And worse then the guards, was Nathaniel Essex himself. The feeling she received from that man was one of coldness. Aloofness.

Snapping out of her daydream, she shrewdly thought of herself how foolish it would be to actually try and break out of this prison. The energy barriers that locked all of the captives in would merely absorb any energy attack- making the shield stronger. And anyone who tried to physically break the barrier. . .would be burned irreparably.

One person had tried. About a year ago when he had first been captured.

_Flashback_

_The boy had just been captured. By himself, he had nearly defeated the entire Strike Force. But nearly is not the same as accomplished. He was bruised and battered and broken when he was thrown into his cell._

_She remembered this so vividly because once this boy was thrown into the cell she knew that he was bound to be something special. She didn't get a chance to interrogate him for he collapsed into unconsciousness the moment his head had hit the floor. She remembered the sharp crack his skull made on the cement echoing on the energy walls. The little girl who would share the cell with him screamed. What was her name again? Gavin? _

_She wasn't important._

_Something about this boy gave her a feeling. A feeling that she didn't recognize right away. There were butterflies in her stomach and her heart pumped faster and she realized that she felt hope. _

_When the boy woke he was enraged. Alexis remembered his anger. It felt so sharp. So clear. _

_righteous._

_He began to do something Alexis had never seen before. She had lived in the prisons for all of her life- she knew of many crazy and obscene powers. But nothing like this._

_The boy hunched his knees, spread his arms and bent them at the elbow. He let out a roar, nearly bestial in nature, and he exploded in blue light. _

_Alexis mind went lapsed temporarily. the ferocity that she felt overpowered her._

_The boy tilted his eyes upward and let his own power wash over him. _

_His energy was fearsome. Alexis remembered. It overloaded the powergrid in his cell. The energy barrier flickered, flickered, and was finally off. _

_That's when the guards stormed in. Great hulking masses, genetically engineered to be aggressive and wicked and to kill. _

_Kill they did. Alexis still felt the lingering traces of murderous intent in her body. _

_On that day, Jacen Lynch was killed._

_End Flash back_

Alexis shuddered. She remembered Jacen. His memory was the only thing that kept her alive. . .

**

* * *

**

Scott swore. He knew that he and his team were set up by professionals. The X-Men weren't even fully assembled, as half of the team was elsewhere. The members that he had with him were preoccupied with saving the lives of innocent standerbys.

"Yo! X-Geek." A gravelly voice echoed from behind a broken-down jeep. "Looks like you could use a hand."

Scott let a grim grin on his face. "You're right, Lance. We could use a little help."

"Fred'll hold down the screen. Toad and me'll help you take these bitches out." Lance shouted.

"Sounds good, Rocky." Scott turned towards Jean. "Stay here and help Dukes out."

She nodded. "Can do, leader boy." A smirk crept onto her face. "I'll meet you on the battleground in about ten minutes."

Scott gave a curt nod. He directed his gaze towards the other members of his team. Kurt and Evan were busy rescuing helpless men, women, children, and various pets. Kitty had commandeered the popcorn stand and was busy fortifying it with anything she could find, turning it into a fortress to protect Jamie and any others who required protection. Rogue was busy fighting three super-powered women.

"What!" Scott shouted. "Son of a BITCH!"

**

* * *

**

"You know, Evan, I didn't sign up for thees." Kurt announced to his friend Evan.

He teleported three children to the fort that Kitty was building.

"Dude, we're superheroes." Evan reminded Kurt as he flung out his left hand to spike a falling tree to a nearby wall. "This is _exactly_ what we signed up for."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Dude, the asian one? She might be all crazy and shit-but she's quite possibly the hottest girl zat I ave' ever seen!"

"I dunno, man. Don't you think it's weird that-" Evan was cut off as a bright purple beam hit him straight in the chest. His spikes retracted against his will.

"What the. . ." Evan mumbled. "Kurt, man, somethings wrong here!"

Unfortunately for Spyke, Nightcrawler had found other trouble.

**

* * *

**

Anne Morland quickly assembled an army of trees. Being able to completely control plantlife had it's advantages. Manipulating tree monsters was one of them.

Anne had been ordered to play heavy cavalry and back up any teammate in case they ran into trouble. Of course, the fight that the X-Men were putting up seemed dismal.

Her mask itched, and some of the spirit gum was wearing off.

Suddenly, a flash of smoke appeared out of nowhere.

"Vell, vell. Ve can't ave' these pretty creatures on the loose now can ve?"

The character that had popped out of the blue _was_ blue. With pearly white, sharp teeth. And a thick german accent. He had teleported onto a branch right above her and, hanging upside down with his tail, grinned at her; inches from her own face.

"Though you are ze enemy and all, I'll admit you girls ave' got classy fashion taste. I like the cat suit" Kurt did his best impression of a cat's meow.

Anne's pale cheeks reddened slightly- but with a flick of her wrist, batted Kurt away with a tree branch.

**

* * *

**

Raika surveyed the action. Abrogate, the power-jammer, managed her task well. Most of the X-Men were preoccupied with saving human life.

"Pathetic." She grabbed her communicator. "Dusty, wrap it up, will ya? We don't have-"

Something slimy and green slammed into her chest- knocking the communicator out of her hand.

"Ohhhh yeaaahhh. Toad's the man!" An agile, but dirty, boy nimbly hopped around the parking lot, looking for another opening.

Pausing just the slightest to admire her adversary's obvious skill- she threw an ice-bomb at him. The dirty-haired boy flipped over the projectile. The ice-bomb froze the car behind him.

"Missed me! Nyah nyah nyah" Todd gloated.

Elegantly raising an eyebrow; "Did I?"

The ice rose up off of the car and took the form of a cannon.

"Oh crap. . ." Todd mumbled.

A piercing red beam of light lanced out and shattered the ice structure. Raika gasped.

Summers.

**

* * *

**

After much thought, I have decided to re-continue this story. So review! And tell all your friends!

Kyle


	4. Tactical Strike pt 2

**Tactical Strike Part 2**

By Whimsical Impulse

* * *

With beads of sweat collecting on her forehead, Jean Grey raised her hands higher, to gain a better telekinetic hold on the screen.

"Fred, how much more?" She called out.

Fred held the base of the screen, the rusty bars cutting into his skin. "Just a little bit more, red. Man, I am going to need a tetanus shot after this. And some ice cream."

Jean let out a soft giggle and then shouted, "Fred I will buy you 31 Flavors if you just hold on a bit longer!"

Fred grinned back. "I'm holding you to that."

Jean groaned with effort as she tried to ease the screen back onto the ground. Suddenly a beam of purple light blasted across her face. She lost concentration of her telekinesis and let the screen fall. "Fred, I lost my powers!"

"Shit" Fred replied as the screen toppled onto him.

**

* * *

**

"So. . after this fight; you wanna grab a burger or something?" Evan joked as he hit the ground. "So what exactly did you do to me?"

"Nulled your powers, bone-boy. Ya like?" The raven-haired girl giggled. She grabbed an object from her golden utility belt, paused a moment to aim, and hurled it at him.

Evan swore and dodged behind a car. The projectile hit the car and exploded, shattering the glass windows. Using the billowing smoke as a mask for his movements, Evan agilely climbed over the car and rushed the girl- attempting to body slam her. Unfortunately, the girl sidestepped and Evan let himself careen into the van behind her.

Letting out a groan of pain, Evan asked "So I don't even get a name?" The girl laughed again and replied; "It's Abrogate."

"Aw jeez- that was an SAT word, wasn't it. . ." He opened the van door.

"Kinda sorta" Abrogate lashed out with her right leg, which Evan dodged. She let the momentum carry her into a clockwise spin and struck out again with her left leg. Evan, anticipating the move, grabbed hold of her left leg, lifted her up, threw her into the van, and slammed the door.

Suddenly another girl appeared, wearing the same slinky, black cat suit. This one, a blonde, grinned saucily as she approached Evan. Evan, forever making the wrong choices at the wrong time grinned back. The girl moved closer and closer, until there faces were a foot apart. She opened her mouth slightly, pursing her lips together- when light green mist flowed out of her mouth. Evan inhaled, smiled, and then promptly hit the ground like a ton of bricks.

The girl walked over to the van and opened the door. "Getting sloppy, Tyler."

"Thanks for the save, Mae. I owe ya, one." Tyler Dumas, fondly known as 'Gate, replied. "Have we apprehended Summers' yet?"

"Negative, 'Gate." The blonde, codenamed Dusty, smiled. "The rest of his team are providing a little trouble. There's a couple of other mutants getting our way also."

"Well then lets get back in the fight!" The smaller girl cried out- rushing back into the battle.

"Lets." The voluptuous blonde replied.

**

* * *

**

"Oh God! Are you alright, Fred." Jean called out anxiously. "My powers! Something's wrong with them. I can't use my telekinesis."

"Well, I'm fucked then." Fred groaned- sharp pains shot through his left leg. He tested his strength on the screen, trying to lift it like he would a barbell. The screen moved slightly. "Jean, I think I can lift this but I don't think I can move it out of my way. I think my leg is broken too."

"If you can get the screen out of the way- the van isn't far away. We can get you out of here." Jean informed him, rushing to the spot next to where Fred lay.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can move out of this. My leg hurts pretty bad. I can't support all of my weight with just one leg." Fred's face contorted with pain.

An idea hit Jean. "Do you think you could move out of this screen if Kitty turned you intangible?"

"I think I could push myself out. Where is Pryde?"

"I don't know. I'll find her. Just stay calm."

Fred's eyes widened. A red-haired girl dangerously hovered 100 feet above the pair. Jean, preoccupied with Fred's condition had her back to the battle. Jean noticed his frown, though, and concernedly inquired; "What's wrong?"

Frantically, Fred shouted; "Get out of the way!"

Jean didn't have time to react as the red haired aerokinetic swooped down upon the two and bashed Jeans head with a piece of rebar. Jean collapsed onto the cold pavement and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Jean?" Fred whispered. "Oh shit, Jean. Snap out of this!"

**

* * *

**

Rogue grinned predatorily. The two women she had been battling, forgot about her after she feigned unconsciousness; they would pay for that now. The taller blonde had joined a smaller woman- and the brunette tree controller had gone off to battle Kurt. The girl who breathed out knockout gas and the girl who shot out purple power negation beams were ready to get what they deserved.

Stealthily, she ducked behind cars in the parking lot- using there shadows to provide even more protection in the cool night air. She stole silently to a spot nearest the two. She could hear them talking.

"Well then lets get back in the fight!" The smaller blonde cried out.

"Lets" Agreed the taller.

"Let's not!" Rogue cried out, lunging from her shadowy position. She viciously slammed her right fist into the smaller blondes face. The woman cried out in pain and surprise, her head collided with a car door and she became silent. Rogue turned around and faced off against the taller, more athletic woman.

Rogue surveyed her new opponent. She was taller, half of a head taller than herself. She moved devastatingly smoother than the smaller girl- suggesting intense combat training.

The woman grinned savagely and lashed out with her left foot. Rogue sidestepped and countered with a roundhouse punch. The blonde ducked, stepped in, and delivered a devastating uppercut to Rogue's chin. Knocked backwards, Rogue cried out. The blonde rushed forward to capitalize on her advantage but was met with Rogue's left fist.

Rogue let out a shout of victory as she knocked her adversary onto the ground with a single blow. The woman let out a groan of pain. as she collapsed on top of her partner. Rogue grabbed the woman by her shoulders, lifted her up, and snapped; "What do you want from us?"

"Not. . telling.. .you a thing. . ."The woman gasped out, fighting for her consciousness.

Rogue dropped the woman in disgust. She turned to the other unconscious girl. "You've been giving my team a lot of trouble. Let's see what your powers can do to your team." She murmured to herself. Slipping off her glove she placed a pale hand onto the cheek of the unconscious Tyler.

The familiar rush of power and memories flooded her mind. Rogue tugged her hand away from Tyler's face.

Flexing her hand, she let purple energy emanate from her eyes.

"Time to get even now."

**

* * *

**

Kurt felt bruises forming on his left side, the side he had landed on.

"Mein gott, I am going to feel zees in zee morning."

He got up, brushed himself off, and prepared to rush back into the fight. The girl who had hit him with one of her trees stalked off in a different direction. He ran, though his left ankle felt broken, to catch up. His head hurt too much for him to be able to concentrate on his teleportation powers. Additionally, he lacked the energy.

"I hate not being able to 'port. . . " He grumbled as he limped his way closer to the brown-haired tree-girl.

"Having pediatric problems, blue boy?" A familiar, but not friendly, face asked.

"That's podiatric, dumbass. Vat are you doing here?" Kurt growled menacingly.

"Saving your ass, furball." Lance shot back.

His eyes rolled upwards as he pointed his outstretched right hand at the tree monsters. Small quakes became bigger, until waves of earth raged towards Anne and her creations. The waves tore up all of the pavement and dirt it encountered. Anne didn't have any time think as the waves poured over her, trapping most of her tree creatures under it- the wood snapping and crunching underneath hunks of pavement and dirt. Anne managed to stay atop her tallest tree being and above the concrete carnage.

She turned around and found, to her surprise, two mutants. She grabbed something from her belt, seeds from what Kurt could tell, and tossed them onto the strange mixture of dirt and concrete. She threw her hands up into the air.

A second passed. Two seconds.

It was like an explosion of dirt, concrete and wood; as 4 new tree beasts arose. Savagely swinging their heavy arms- the giants approached the two mutant teenagers.

Kurt attacked first- running up to one of the beasts to attempt to bring it down by himself. the tree responded by knocking the furry boy away with a well placed tree limb. Lance got battered next, yet managing to bring down one of the trees.

**

* * *

**

"Yo. ." Todd muttered nervously. "Can't we talk this out?" He turned his gaze to Scott. Isn't that what you X-Geeks do anyways?"

"Shut up, Todd." Scott replied, his steely gaze directed at Raika. "Why are you attacking my team? We haven't done anything to you."

Raika laughed. She grabbed her communicator; "Strike Force- reconvene at coordinates 216, 32. Summers is in sight."

She received no response. She frowned for a moment and growled into her communicator again. She tried again, and again.

Toad turned to Scott from his position atop a van and snickered, Scott grinned back- put a hand to his visor and loosed an optic blast that knocked the communicator from Raika's hand. Raika swore and dodged behind a car to hide from more attacks. She grabbed a another ice-explosive from her utility belt, but before she could throw it a blast of purple energy hit her.

"'Gate, the hell do you think you're-" Raika's confusion was cut off as Rogue's unrelenting fist buried itself into her stomach. Raika let out a cry of pain and countered by backhanding Rogue across the face. The southern belle accepted the desperate blow with nary a shout.

"So," With a cold look upon her face, Rogue drawled calmly "You're the leader of this outfit? Why did you attack us?"

Raika spat at the girl's feet. "I won't tell you a thing."

Rogue smirked and grabbed hold of Raika's shirt, bringing her to her feet. "Have it your way. I stole your girlfriend's power-sapping ability. You won't be able to do. . .whatever it is you do." Rogues thick southern accent got even thicker with fury.

Raika responded by head-butting Rogue. Rogue stumbled back and let go of the ice-manipulator. Raika stumbled away, grabbing object and throwing it down. The object exploded in billows of grey smoke- masking Raika's escape.

Rogue, Scott and Todd swore simultaneously.

"Rogue, Todd Offensive maneuver Alpha."

Rogue immediately got into position, but Todd, instead, relaxed his combat stance and replied out "Thanks, loser. I really know what Offense Alpha is."

Rogue scowled and hissed "Just look sharp, Toad. All you have to do is watch my back."

"Okie dokes, hot stuff." Todd winked.

"Oh shut up, Toad." Rogue replied. The three mutants formed a tight-knit formation and prepared for battle.

"I'll kill them." A somber, even delicate voice, spoke the words that carried through the late night air, cutting through the shouts of civilians like a knife.

Anne Morland, codenamed Dryad, had in the clutches of a solitary tree monster- two unconscious mutants; Kurt and Lance.

Scott swore again.

"What do you want?" He asked of the girl controlling the monster.

He couldn't let his teammate, or Lance for that matter, die. he couldn't live with blood on his hands.

Raika smirked. "We want you, Scott Summers. To come with us."

"Why" Scott replied. "Where are we going? What do you want with me?" He had no idea what they wanted with him- but he was ready to do whatever was necessary to save the lives of the two teens.

"Scott! Don't listen to them. They're criminals- we have no idea what they-" Rogue was cut off.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." The joking tone that Raika had formerly adopted was replaced with a cold steely tone. "We'll kill those two if you don't come with us."

Scott paused a moment. He couldn't let anyone die. He refused.

"I'll do it."

"Scott! Ya can't!" Rogue cried out.

"Yeah, yeah Scotty, m'man. That chic looks insane. Who knows what they'll do to youse." Todd mumbled nervously.

Scott didn't budge. "Take the rest of the team home, Rogue. Todd, you can stay at the mansion if you want." Todd nodded. Scott turned his gaze to Rogue. "I'll come back. I promise."

"Let's move it, Summers. Dryad, release those two. Strike Force! Move out."

The team, in various stages of disarray climbed into the black, un-plated van- and drove off leaving Rogue and Todd in the dust.

"So what are we going to do now, yo." Todd asked.

"We find those bitches and bring Scott home." Rogue replied. Her eyes glinting dangerously.

To Be Continued

* * *

Haretrigger: Here's some more for ya, mate!

Kitrazzle Fayn: Thanks for being my faithful editor/beta/idea back board for me! I didn't feel like adding the Colossus part in just yet. . . But I owe ya big time for all of the ideas!

DeadCJunkie: Hey! I'm back. Thanks for your review. Todd and Fred rule!

Yokokaru-Chan: Thanks for reading! Now keep doin' it!

Aceswild: yep, that was Jacen. My first ever OC and my biggest Mary Sue- he's the coolest. You can still see him in my other fic "Destiny's Apocalypse".

Eternal Sailor Serenity: Tyler Dumas, renamed "Abrogate" (Thanks KF), does cancel powers indeed. thanks for letting me use her!

PEACE OUT

Kyle


	5. Captured

You couldn't tell through his optic restraint but Scott Summers eyes raged with fury. The metallic device designed to keep his powers woefully unusable infuriated the young mutant. His hands and feet were bound by machines as well and try as he might he couldn't extricate himself from the wall.

The strike force had boarded a plane and was flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Scott, of course, had no idea of his whereabouts or of the proposed definition. What he did know, though, was the he didn't want to be taken lightly. If these mutants considered him a threat, then he was going to show them just how much of a threat he really could be.

"I really wouldn't struggle. If you're heartbeat rises too far above normal you will be electrocuted into unconsciousness." A soft voice said. Soothing, Scott might have described it if it had been spoken under different situations. "I really am sorry that we had to threaten you to join us."

Scott rolled his eyes beneath the optic restraint.

"I'm sure you are." He swore at her, his tone harsh.

The girl sighed and Scott that he detected the slightest hint of regret.

"Who are you?" His voice softened. "What do you want me for?"

"I don't want you." She replied, barely a whisper.

"Then, who?"

"I can't. . .I can't tell you. . ."

Scott paused, tensed up, and then roared savagely as he threw his weight against his restraints. Seconds passed before electricity surged through his body. Scott screamed, not in anger but in pain, and then slumped forward, defeated.

"I told you that would happen." Anne Morland sighed.

"Yeah, well, forgive me for not rolling over and dying." Scott said through gritted teeth.

_We don't want you dead, Scott_

"Who said that? Professor?" Scott let himself feel hope. The Professor and Jean were the only telepathic voices he had ever heard.

_Professor? I'm hardly the teacher you know. Of course, I do possess several doctorates. However, my name is Nathanial Essex. I am a caregiver to mutants much like Charles is._

"How'd you know that name? You're psychic?" Scott stuttered. He tried to remember the mental shielding training that Logan had taught him.

_No, Scott. Him and I were merely colleagues once upon a time. That's in the past. You're the future now._

"How are you in my head?"

_I'm something of an inventor._

"What do you want with me? There are more powerful mutants than I am. And if you think I'll agree to anything you ask of me, you've got another--"

_Scott, you underestimate your own abilities. You'll come around._

And with that, the voice vanished.

"Who was that?" Scott asked. "What do you people want with me?"

"I do not know." Anne Morland replied woefully. "I do not know of what Mr. Essex intends to do with you. I apologize if you're in any discomfort."

"Discomfort? I've been kidnapped! Yes, I'm feeling discomforted!" Scott's voice dripped with malicious intent.

"It won't be long now. Be patient."

* * *

"Professor! We're going on this mission. Scott is our friend." Bobby Drake, the self-appointed leader of the younger mutants, protested.

All of the students, along with Toad, Blob, and Avalanche, had congregated in the war room of the mansion. Most of the mutants had no idea what to do. They feared that Scott would never be recovered. Logan proposed a search party, volunteers were abundant. The Professor was hesitant to choose everyone.

"No, you are staying here, Bobby. That is final."

"We're useful, Professor. And we're practically adults. We can handle the responsibility. Scott is just as important to us as he is to you."

Murmurs of agreement sounded from the group of students. They thirsted for revenge; they wanted to save their friend.

"Enough! I will not tolerate all of you shouting at me. We will rescue Scott, but first, we need to calm down and take in the situation.

The Professor spoke sharply, a tone he reserved for only most serious of occasions. Bobby fell silent; he felt the Professor's worry, a thought which terrified him and the rest of the group. The Professor had been fully briefed on what had happened at the movie theater. He had started to psychically comb through the minds of all the participants, even the human ones. As of yet, he had not found much, not even a thread to hang from.

"Professah?" Rogue spoke softly. "Ah absorbed one of them. One of the fighters, ah mean. I can remember. . .I can't recall her memories. . .maybe if you. . ."

Professor Xavier had already beaten her to it and began to probe her mind, looking for evidence. Rogue had already absorbed so many people's memories that the process was tedious. He sifted through various profiles and personalities. He had seen most of them, all of them in fact, during the psychic sessions the two conducted weekly, to help Rogue control her powers. He browsed through her mind feverishly.

"Find anything good, Chuck?" Logan snarled. He sat in his usual chair, cowboy boots propped up on the desk, his hat obscuring his eyes for the rest of the room.

Xavier was too focused on sifting through Rogue's memories to answer him. But if he did have the presence of mind to do so, he would have said yes. He had just stumbled on the new memories that the Rogue had absorbed. They didn't tell him much, but from them he garnered one name: Nathanial Essex.

"We have trouble, Logan." Xavier answered.

"Don't we always?" Logan replied. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"Nothing yet, I'm afraid. I have to spend time searching for Scott's location. It's going to take a while." Xavier paused. "A long while, I'm afraid."

Having said that, Xavier wheeled out of the war room. Logan, Ororo, and Jean followed him. The mutants left behind began to converse among themselves.

"This is bullshit, man. We should be out there. We should be doing something. Waiting is worthless." Evan fumed.

"I totally agree, Even. We should be proactive or whatever." Kitty said. "We're being totally useless. Scott could, like, be dying."

"Hey, at least you and the other senior members get to go on the search party." Bobby groaned. "We're going to sit this mission out like every other one."

"Will you guy's all calm down!" Rogue spoke sharply. "Even if we could get access to the Blackbird or the van or whateva you had in mind, we wouldn't be able to do anything. We have no idea where Scott is." Rogue paused to look around at the rest of the mutants.

"Believe me, you guys. Ah want to get 'im back as much you do."

* * *

"Professor, please hurry. Please." Jean squeezed the handle to the Professor's wheel chair tightly as he mounted the Cerebro helmet.

"Jean, let me assure you, I'm doing the best that I can."


	6. Alumni

**Alumni**

By Whimsical Impulse

* * *

"So what's the plan, Chuck?"

Logan paced through the conference room he and Xavier occupied. Despite the complaints of the rest of X-men, ranging from violent outbursts to concerned protests, Xavier and Logan had decided to hold a private meeting to discuss the future plans of discourse.

Xavier had a good hunch of the whereabouts of his leading (and, at times, favorite) student, based on the knowledge of previous cities he knew Nathaniel Essex to have previously operated out of. He also had picked up faint psychic trails of Scott's consciousness. These lingering fragments of telepathic energy gave Xavier hope in the rescue effort.

"We're going to have to send out a strong rescue team immediately; that's for certain." Xavier remarked, as if to himself. "I studied Genetics with Essex during my years at Oxford, I know him well. He's cruel and ruthless man. He will not stop until he obtains what he wants."

"And what exactly does he want?" Logan gruffly asked. "What's Scott got to do with it? He's an innocent."

"Innocent, yes, but Scott possesses immeasurable power."

"You mean his optic blasts?"

"Not quite, Logan. His mutant abilities are formidable, yes, but that's not what Essex is after." Xavier paused, the anticipation of his words weighed heavily on Logan. "It's his very genetic structure. The way that evolution has worked, mutant genes are passed on as recessive traits. When two mutants, both possessing the gene, produce an offspring, that child is almost certainly a mutant."

"So what's that got to do with Slim?"

"In most second generation mutants, the abilities they manifest are generally completely separate from the abilities of their parents. All mutants possess and X-gene, the recessive trait that carries the mutant DNA. However, a few mutants, not many, possess an additional X-2 gene."

"I take it Scott has one?"

"Indeed."

"And what does it do exactly? Does it give Scott any extra powers?"

"An X-2 gene will not grant the possessor any special abilities. However, when the X-2 is combined with any X-gene, the offspring would have the same abilities of the mother. The offspring's abilities would be amplified as a result of the X-2 and X gene bond. Not only the same power, but the offspring would be more naturally adept at mastering their abilities."

"So Essex wants Scott to knock up some random mutant women so he can take their kids?"

"Not just any women. I imagine that he's been cultivating, through genetic manipulation, a perfect female specimen to impregnate, someone who, if their abilities were properly amplified, could become a powerful army."

"How do you know this?" Logan asked doubtfully.

"I know this because Nathaniel Essex has always been obsessed with making an army. He's very much like Magneto, in a way. He wants to force the mutant population into the world by force. He feels that we as mutants are superior to Homo Sapien."

"He sounds crazy to me."

"In that, you would be correct."

"So back to my first question, Chuck. What's the plan?"

"We're mounting an immediate rescue mission, Logan. Here's your team."

Telekinetically, Xavier lifted a data pad and sent it over to Wolverine who snatched it out of the air. He read them over.

**Rescue Operation**

**Elisabeth Braddock  
**Codename: Psylocke  
Location: London, England

**Emma Frost  
**Codename: White Queen  
Location: Oakland, California

**Henry McCoy  
**Codename: Beast  
Location: Bayville, New York

**Ororo Munroe  
**Codename: Storm  
Location: Bayville, New York

**James Proudstar  
**Codename: Thunderbird  
Location: Reno, Nevada

"Your old students?" Logan was taken aback. These mutants had long since graduated Xavier's institute and gone on to live their lives.Others, like Henry and Ororo, had stuck with the Institute. Some of them had become less than reputable.

"Are you really surprised Logan?" Xavier asked from behind the table. "I absolutely cannot risk my current team; they're too young and to emotionally attached to this particular mission. They haven't gotten complete control of their powers, you know that."

"I also know that they aren't going to be happy with this, Professor."

"I'm afraid you might be correct."

* * *

Logan was correct. 

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Professor? There's no way I'm staying here and doing nothing."

Evan, perpetually the most outspoken of the group, was the first and loudest to react. The others were quick to voice similar opinions.

"This is totally unfair, Professor. Scott means a lot to all of us." Kitty said.

"Definitely. You can't keep us cooped up here. We're not children." Kurt pressed the offensive.

"Professah, Kurt's right, we're not children. We're the X-men and we stick together." Rogue declared.

"Yeah, let us go!" Bobby cried out. "We can handle this Essex is guy. We're the X-Men!" Bobby was quick to identify himself as an 'X-man' though he hadn't completed even the most basic of Wolverine's training programs.

Xavier's expression, normally that of a kindly, wise, elderly man, turned rigid. Logan stood behind his wheel chair, his arms folded, stoic. However, at the present moment, the most intimidating man in the room was currently Professor Xavier.

"My word is final. I will not allow any arguments. You are all staying here." The grave look on his face, so uncommon for the man, silenced all of the students. "Now, please, return to your rooms until further notice.

Wordlessly, noiselessly, the students obeyed. Herding, like cows, back to the upper-levels of the mansion. When the masses subsided, one figure remained.

"I said that all students are to return to their rooms. That includes you, Ms. Grey." Xavier let the slightest hint of an edge creep into his voice.

"I'm going on this mission, Professor, whether you like it or not." Jean did not bother with any subtlety. "I deserve to go. More than anyone else."

The Professor met Jean's even gaze. Their staring contests had been frequent during her enrollment at the Institute. However, for the first time ever, Xavier was the one to lower his gaze.

"You're right. You do deserve to go."

With that, he directed his wheel chair into the elevator. Logan stood quietly before following the Professor. Before completely leaving the room, he paused, with his back to Jean.

"Suit up, kid, meet us in the hangar in ten."

"So the Professor knows for certain where Scott is? Are we going to get him immediately."

"Not quite, Jean, we have to make a few quick stops."

"To do what?"

"Pick up the rest of the team, Red. We're going in with all the firepower we can get our hands on."

* * *

Does anyone recognize the names on the new roster? What do you guys think will happen to the rest of the x-men? Review to find out!

After getting a few encouraging emails, I decided to continue on with the fic. So please, I urge you, review this chapter if you want to see another one.

-Whim


End file.
